Battling Wolves dig deep to produce another home win

It maintained the Parrys International Wolves’ unbeaten home start as they dug deep against last year’s Premiership runners-up to come up with a second straight ten point triumph.

As has been the case on so many occasions over the past 12 months, the Monmore men got their night off to the ideal start.

Steve Worrall made a good gate before Sam Masters crept up the inside of Sheffield’s guest No.1 Nick Morris as the opening pairing came up with their sixth home 5-1 of the league campaign so far.

The visitors struck a 4-2 in the battle of the reserves before the hosts responded with one of their own in Heat Three.

Rory Schlein and Adam Ellis were involved in a fine battle out front; Schlein rounded Ellis on the entry to lap two before the Sheffield man got his nose back in front.

But the Wolves No.3 wouldn’t be denied as he came storming back underneath the 2021 British Champion down the back straight.

It was another 4-2 to Sheffield in Heat Four with Wolves guest Scott Nicholls having to repass former Wolf Tobiasz Musielak on two occasions to split the visiting duo as Lewis Kerr made it back-to-back race wins.

Schlein followed suit with a second race win the fifth – but the drama came behind him when team-mate Ryan Douglas slowed down after appearing to mistake sun glare for a red light stoppage at the beginning of lap two, allowing Morris to come through for second.

The run of 4-2s continued in Heat Six when Musielak took the chequered flag, with Masters coming through for second to end Kerr’s unbeaten start before Nicholls led a shared Heat Seven.

The Wolves then hit a defining spell in the fixture as they reeled off three heat advantages from the next four races.

Worrall eased to victory whilst Leon Flint resisted a late charge from Dan Gilkes in the eighth before Douglas and Schlein combined for their third 4-2 of the fixture in Heat Nine. That opened up an eight point lead and enabled Sheffield team manager Simon Stead to bring in Musielak as a tactical substitute in the next.

The Pole led a 4-2 in Heat Ten before Wolves turned a 4-2 on its head in Heat 11 when Nicholls shot underneath Morris off bend two with Zach Cook also getting by Kerr.

Schlein made it a hat-trick of wins in Heat 12 before Masters claimed his first win in Heat 13.

And the Wolves wrapped up the victory with a race to spare when Douglas produced a fine ride to charge under Kerr with Cook holding on for third ahead of Gilkes.

The Parrys International Wolves head to Belle Vue in the Knockout Cup on Thursday at 7.30pm with a 26 point lead.

The next action at Monmore Green is next Monday, May 22, at 7.30pm with Ipswich the visitors in the Premiership.

PARRYS INTERNATIONAL WOLVES 50: Rory Schlein 11+1, Sam Masters 11+1 Scott Nicholls 8, Ryan Douglas 8, Steve Worrall 6, Zach Cook 4, Leon Flint 2+1.

SHEFFIELD 40: Tobiasz Musielak 14, Lewis Kerr 10+1, Adam Ellis 6+1, Nick Morris 6+1, Dan Gilkes 4, David Bellego 0, Kyle Howarth R/R.